


Unexpected Rip

by ams75, IncendiaGlacies



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Rip Week 2019, RipFic, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 15:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19406422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ams75/pseuds/ams75, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: After years apart, Rip finally returns to Gideon, but he’s still keeping secrets from her.





	Unexpected Rip

**Author's Note:**

> Collab fic by ams75 and incendiaglacies. Written for RipWeek 2019 Day Six: Rip Lives!

The lights went out plunging the Waverider into darkness. Gideon frowned, putting down her book and grabbing the nearest torch and her laser revolver. A quick look at the library screens told her that the bridge had been breached. Not on her watch. She held her pistol tightly and allowed the alarms to continue blaring to cover the sound of her footsteps. When she arrived on the bridge, there was a figure standing by the console, shadowed by the darkness. Gideon cocked her gun, placing the barrel against the back of their head and standing up straighter in her heels.

“Who are you and how the hell did you get onto my ship?”

Shivers ran down her spine when he spoke. “It appears I’ve been misled, I heard you were recruiting a crew and came to apply.” That voice had haunted her dreams. “Permission to turn around, Captain.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. It had to be a trick, it had to be. “Slowly.”

“Thank you.”

She kept her gun poised as he turned slowly, arms raised. Her heart skipped a beat when she locked eyes with him. Rip. Her Rip. He had a haggard, tired look in his eyes, an unkept beard, was in desperate need of a haircut, and just looked plain exhausted.

Gideon’s gun slipped a little at the sight of him and she took a step back.

“I see you found my revolver.” He nodded slightly at the weapon.

“Your…” She stared at the weapon in her hand, almost falling from her grasp in surprise. Gideon shook her head and closed her eyes tightly, stepping away again. “You’re not here. You’re not real. You can’t be.”

“Then you won’t mind if I have a drink.” He strode to the parlour then stopped and searched for a bottle. Straightening, he held it aloft. “Care to join me?”

Gideon marched after him, gun still loosely held in her hand. She stopped and stared at him slack jawed.

“Do put that down if you aren’t going to shoot me.” He poured two drinks and then faced her.

“Who says I’m not?”

“If you’d wanted to, I’d be on the floor of the bridge.”

Gideon watched him warily and placed the gun on the table within her reach. “Just because you have his face doesn’t make you him,” she hissed. “I won’t be so easily fooled again.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You mean when I was brainwashed?”

“Among others.”

“When else, Gideon?” he asked softly.

“No. First-first prove to me you’re him.”

“What would you accept as proof?” He sipped his drink as he kept his full attention on her.

Gideon had pondered this very question for many years after seeing fake Rips trying to gain her trust and invade her ship. After so many years to herself, she finally had an answer. With a confident smirk she took a seat, crossed her arms and watched him carefully.

“I had many code words with Rip Hunter. Many were pre-programmed in by the Time Masters, but there was one very specific one that he keyed in himself. Just for me and him and no one else to know. What do the words ‘moonlight, pumpkin, red, forty-two’ mean to you?”

His face drained of all colour and he rolled his glass between his hands. “It meant, with your permission, I tweaked a deeply embedded command and your allegiance shifted from me, Captain Rip Hunter, to Captain Jonas Hunter. You were to protect him and Miranda, if she was with him, at all costs, even your own destruction, if required. We never used it.”

“I wish you would have,” she whispered after a long pause.

“It was already too late.” He continued to look away.

“What good is a time machine if you can’t even save the ones you love?” she said bitterly.

“I asked that frequently.”

“So did I, after…” Losing him. Losing everyone she had ever considered family.

He looked up then, and silently indicated the second glass. Gideon looked from him to the glass, and then picked it up.

“Shall we toast to your return?” she asked, eyeing his already empty glass.

“If you wish.” He stood and walked over to the bottle then sat down once more, holding the whiskey. He topped his glass. “To rumours of my death being mistaken.”

She clinked glasses with him and took a sip of the whiskey.

He held his glass aloft. “To the Captain of the  _ Waverider _ , long may she reign.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Thank you.”

“I expect you’ll want to run tests on me.”

“Yes.”

She was surprised that he looked resigned. Gideon sipped her drink quietly for a little while.

“How are you back?” she finally asked, unable to rein in her curiosity.

“Tired.” His hand began to travel towards her cheek, stopping just short of touching her, he looked unsure. “I’ve heard fragmented tales. What happened to you?”

“Magic,” she said simply, unable to help herself and leaned into his hand. His fingers felt calloused against her skin and she wondered if he had always been this way or if it was new.

“Human, not android?” His touch was light but solid on her skin. “How long?”

“Human, completely. A few years now.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you adjust.”

“It’s okay. The others were.”

“Where are they now?” 

“Gone. Moved on with their lives off ship.”

“Joined the Time Bureau, or quit being Legends?”

“Some of them quit, some of them moved on to the Bureau,” she said succinctly.

“Ava and Sara?”

“Bureau.”

He didn’t look surprised. “In touch with anyone?”

“Doctor Palmer and Mr. Jackson, mostly.”

“Wally?”

“On occasion, but he usually prefers spending time with his family these days and the less interaction I have with Mr. Allen is safer for the timeline.”

He nodded slowly. “Permission to be your first crew member.”

“Have a resume?” she joked.

“Thought you’d prefer a hands on demonstration.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“You supervise my tune up of the  _ Waverider _ .”

She hummed as she considered. Then she stood up and put her empty glass down. “Tomorrow. We’ll run some tests on you and you can work on the ship, show me what you remember.”

He nodded and stood. “You’re using the Captain’s quarters?”

“I was.”

“I’ll find another bed. See you in the morning.”

She nodded and watched him turn on his heel and leave the parlour. He would probably end up in Mr. Jackson’s old room as it was the most upkept. Gideon stayed seated for a very long time wondering if the man before could have really been her Rip Hunter. It was a long time before she finally decided to call it a night herself.

* * *

His sleep, if one could call it that, was restless but he hadn’t expected anything else. After claiming Mr. Jackson’s room, Rip had stripped down and gone to bed. Still, he found himself staring blankly at the ceiling for what felt like hours. He wondered-- hoped-- that this would be his last go around.

When he had first found Gideon, it had been a couple of centuries for her, give or take a few years. She had been an android in that timeline, and had remembered him vividly. In others, fifty years in the future, she had been human and much older than him. She never remembered him very well then. There was always a sadness pinching her voice whenever she talked to him.

Even when it had been forty years, she’d had some difficulty remembering him. It was always harder on both of them when more time had passed between them. The android Gideons always remembered him fondly and welcomed him. This human Gideon was similar to the androids, probably because she still remembered him.

He sighed quietly as he sat up. He should leave her a letter, in case he disappeared, he didn’t want her to think it was his intention to leave her. So far, in every timeline he had visited, he could never stay. He just kept bouncing around, meeting Gideon after Gideon. Rip didn’t even care if she was AI, human, android, young, or old, he just wanted to stay with Gideon for once.

There had to be a reason he kept disappearing but he hadn’t worked it out yet. Every time, each Gideon had been younger than the last, this might very well be his last chance to stay with her. She was only a few years out from when he’d...disappeared, from the sounds of it. He had to anchor onto this timeline and stay with her.

How, he had yet to determine.

Rip sighed and closed his eyes, willing sleep to come to him, and hoping he would remain in the morning once more.

The tests were a waste of time, each Gideon had run them and the results had never varied. He was going to have a very long time to look after the time, as close to forever as made no difference. Somehow, he had to convince her to skip the tests, just this once. Then he would have more time to figure out how to remain in this timeline.

He had lost her too many times already and Rip was getting tired of it.

Once more, he attempted to sleep. His body was tired from all the constant time jumps but his mind stayed awake, fear coursing through him that he would be doomed to lose this Gideon as well. 

Had she felt the electricity between them or had he only imagined it? She must have felt something. Something beyond surprise and fear he wasn’t truly Rip. At least he hoped so. Gideon normally welcomed him back, even when he’d hurt her.

He breathed deeply, remembering the last time he’d seen her in the previous timeline. She’d been just as beautiful and welcoming. She was always breathtaking, no matter what age or form.

Not just her looks, her intellect, too. That was her gift, he always wanted her. Her wits and intellect, how she never held back from an argument. How she would back him up completely when she decided he was right or the fight was right. She was, in many ways, his moral compass of sorts.

He sat up again and stuffed his feet into his boots. He needed to write her that letter, in case he vanished, she needed to know it wouldn’t be his choice. She deserved a goodbye this time around, a proper one.

He threw on his long shirt then walked to the parlour; if they hadn’t been moved, pens and paper were in a drawer. Rip shuffled through the drawers, noticing how certain things had been moved or replaced. It was only to be expected. He had been gone for some time. He found a pen and a scrap of paper and placed them on the desk. Rip took a seat, pondering what to write when he heard someone clear their throat.

Slowly, he raised his head. There was only one person on board and there she stood. Gideon had changed out of her leather outfit and was dressed in a tank top and pajama pants.

“I thought you were going to bed?” she asked.

“Couldn’t sleep. Thought you were?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

He wondered if she had been watching him through the cameras again. It was possible. “So much has changed.”

Gideon stepped forward. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He pushed the pen and paper away. She didn’t need to know about that. “Sit down.” He was aware of the incongruity, him, a visitor, inviting the owner to sit down in her own parlour. It hadn’t been his for years.

Gideon raised an eyebrow but took a seat next to him.

Now that she was here, he wasn’t sure what to say. He opened his mouth and closed it just as quickly. “What have you been doing, since you became Captain?” he asked after several seconds.

“Travelling, dealing with Time Pirates. Someone has to look after time.”

“Have your plans always worked exactly as you imagined?” It had been a long standing argument between then, she had always maintained if only he had properly taken into account everything, his plans would never need changing.

“No. It was one of the drawbacks of becoming human, losing sight of all the different possible timelines.”

“You’re still divine,” he whispered.

She fidgeted with her hands. “So that wasn’t your way of telling me I’m incapable?”

“No. Did I make you feel that way?”

She looked down and that was telling enough.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“Was I mistaken in thinking we made wonderful partners?” he whispered.

She gave a shadow of a smile. “No. We were.”

He said wistfully, “I’d like to be again.”

Gideon bit her lip. “I like being Captain of the  _ Waverider _ ,” she whispered.

“I have no claim on it.”

“Don’t you?”

“I walked away. Do I?”

“Suppose that’s up to her.”

“She’s yours, Gideon. As much as I might like to think otherwise, you’ve always been with her. I’d like to be your second in command.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. If you ever want to revisit this discussion, we can, but right now, you’re the Captain.”

She nodded, not questioning his decision.

“Do you think the  _ Waverider _ will accept me again?”

“I do.”

“I won’t disappoint you, either of you.”

“You should get some sleep,” she finally said. “It will be good for you,” she reached out and cupped his cheek, “and you look tired.”

“I will.”

She dropped her hand after a moment and gave him a weak smile. “And if you can’t, I could always start those tests early.”

“I know.” She had, twice.

Gideon opened her mouth and closed it, shaking her head. “Get some sleep.”

“Yes, Captain.”

He watched the smile on her face grow and the faint reddening of her cheeks, pleased he could still cause the reaction.

“We’ll make you revolver,” he said quietly, “Captain.”

She frowned. “But I already have-oh, right.”

He nodded. “I trust it’s been helpful.”

“It has.”

“Good.” It was almost, he hoped, like he’d been there to help her.

“I kept some of your other things.”

“Did you? What?”

“Some old photos and presents from your family.”

If he had time, he would have to look through them. “Thank you. Would you like copies of the photographs?”

“Yes, please.”

“Make as many copies as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you for keeping anything of mine.” He strongly suspected his whiskey hadn’t.

“You’re welcome.” She stood up and held out her hand for him. “Going to bed?”

“Soon, I promise.”

“Oh.” Her hand dropped. “Okay then. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to see you.”

“It’s fine,” she said tightly. 

“I’m not quite ready for company,” he said as he looked away, squirming. He was hardly dressed for it. 

“No, of course not. I’ll just go to bed then.”

“See you in the morning for breakfast?”

“Yes.” 

He watched her leave, a semi sad look on her face and he longed to run after her. He would have taken her into his arms, told her how he really felt, but she would have been distracted by his state of undress. 

He waited a few minutes in case she returned, then pulled out the pen and paper again. Rip took a deep breath and started writing from the heart, everything he felt and wished and hoped to have with her one day. At the end, he wrote the hard part, that if he disappeared, it was not by choice and he would try to return, if he could. He made a lot of rewrites here, erasing, writing again, erasing once more. Rip wanted Gideon to understand.

Even if she couldn’t forgive him, she needed to understand. 

When he finished, he folded it up and placed it inside and envelope, addressing it to her.

He tucked it into his shirt pocket and walked slowly back to bed. He tucked the letter under his pillow, stripped again and tried to sleep. This time, exhaustion overtook even the noisiest of thoughts and he passed out soon after.

* * *

Gideon had woken up a long time ago and had been laying in bed since. She kept running through the previous night’s events. Had she really seen Rip? Or had it been yet another dream? She turned to watch the camera feed, to see if he was still there. 

She wasn’t sure what would be worse. If he was back he would want the captaincy again. If he wasn’t back, maybe she was losing her mind. She wondered if that would have happened to her if she were still an AI. So much had changed since turning human. She never could have imagined how much.

Gideon turned her attention back to her tablet, switching through the camera feeds. Her heart skipped when she saw him in the galley.

He was real.

She dropped the tablet and closed her eyes, counting to three, fists clenched. When she opened her eyes again, he was still on the screen. She needed to get to the galley and see for herself. Quickly, she got up and got dressed, grabbing her revolver just in case and headed to the galley.

She paused and watched him when she got to the entrance. When he didn’t notice her presence, she cleared her throat and stood up straight, trying to look domineering in her leather outfit. “Good morning.”

For a second she thought he would speak, as he hastily swallowed. He coughed and his eyes widened as she saw him check her out. He waved her to the chair next to him. Slowly, she walked forward and took the seat next to him, placing the revolver on the table closer to her.

“Not going to use that on me, I hope.”

“Can’t risk anything. Precautionary, really.”

She watched his eyes as he processed that. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“Oh, I usually just fabricate myself some pancakes.”

“What kind?”

“Chocolate chip. With chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Oh, and hot chocolate…with whipped cream, cinnamon, and chocolate sprinkles.”

“Let me see if I can make them for you.”

“All right.”

She watched him closely as he puttered around in the kitchen, mixing the batter and flipping her pancakes. When he returned with two plates of food she smiled and thanked him.

“You know we’re going to the medbay after this,” she said as she ate.

He nodded resignedly. “You need to know I’m me.”

“And that you’re okay. You’ve been gone a long time, Rip. I would like to be sure that wherever you were, it didn’t have any adverse effects on you.” She spoke pointedly, expecting him to catch on and give her an answer as to where exactly he’d been the past five years and why he hadn’t come back sooner.

“And if it has?” He played with his food.

“Then we deal with it. Together.” She repeated the words he had always told her when he’d said they were partners. Gideon hoped that still rang true and he wasn’t hoping to replace her as Captain again.

She startled when she saw his hand hovering over hers. Gideon remained still and allowed him to touch her hand, looking at him intently.

“Together, Captain.”

Gideon nodded. When they finished their breakfast, she placed their plates in the sink and reached out her hand for his, grabbing the revolver with her other hand.

“You know I could disarm you if I wished.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “Want to give it a try?”

She watched as he considered it. Then he shook his head, taking her hand and standing up. “Tempting offer, but you’re my Captain.”

“Really? Just like that?”

He seemed to hesitate before he said firmly, “Just like that.”

Gideon nodded and didn’t comment again as she led him to the medbay. There, she slipped the medcuff onto his wrist and began the routine scans. First, a confirmation that he was who he said he was. He waited silently. Gideon glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and back to the results.

“You’re you,” she said quietly, looking at the blood test. “But there’s an anomaly in your tests.” She squinted at the screen, trying to understand it better.

“Is there?”

“Yes.” She turned back to him and saw the look on his face. “You don’t look surprised.”

He shrugged slightly. “Too much to hope I’d get off scot-free.”

“It might take me some time to run through these to understand exactly - what are you doing?”

Rip had sat up and started taking off the medcuff and wirings. “Thought I’d get started on some maintenance work. Earn my keep around here.”

“You’re not finished here yet.”

“You’ve confirmed that I’m me, and you have my blood work. No reason for me to stay.”

“I just told you, more tests,” Gideon said. “As your Captain, I order you to comply.”

“You never liked it when I forced you to do something, did you?” he said quietly.

“No, but this is about your health. As your Captain, I’m responsible for you.”

He sighed, giving in and sitting back. Satisfied, she helped him with the medcuff. As she started the tests again she caught sight of his face. 

“You really don’t want to make sure you’re okay?” she said softly. 

“I feel fine. Can it wait a while?”

She sighed and relented with a silent nod. “It was always my job to make sure you were okay,” she said quietly.

“It still is.”

“Didn’t find someone else to replace me, then?” she joked.

“Never, Gideon,” he said softly.

She gave him a small smile. “You can go if you want to.”

She watched as he sat up, removed the medcuff once more and reached for her hand. Gideon took his hand and squeezed tightly. 

“I can’t believe you’re back.”

“Me either. Seemed like I never would.”

“Where were you before?”

“Stuck for a long time it seemed. A faint golden light surrounded me. When that disappeared, I was on the  _ Waverider _ .”

Gideon frowned. “You hallucinated the ship?”

“No.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The Time Drive exploded. I made one of my time bombs to slow down time, to give me a chance to escape. I threw it and was surrounded by golden light. When that faded, I was on the ship, I don’t know how.”

“And then what happened?”

“I stood still, stunned. Saw you soon after.”

“And here we are.”

“Here we are.”

“So for you it’s only been a few seconds?”

“No idea how long it’s been. Felt like eternity.”

She nodded. “I suppose time worked differently wherever you were.”

“Could be. My watch isn’t working.”

“I’ll take a look at it.”

He unfastened the band and handed it over. Gideon turned it over once, twice in her hands. She saw him frown as he glanced at his other wrist.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. 

He removed his Time Courier (what was left of it) and placed it next to his watch. Gideon touched them both and waited to hear his thoughts on what had happened to him.

“Bloody hell,” he said bitterly.

“Time Courier’s worse off,” she said, staring at the practically melted piece of technology. “How did you keep it on for so long?”

“The band is all right. Didn’t have a proper look at it until now.”

Gideon nodded. “Well, I’ll have a look at both of these if that’s all right with you.”

He nodded. “Permission to use the fabricator if you can’t fix them?”

Gideon blinked and looked down sadly. She had thought he wanted to stay with her on the Waverider, not leave again. “Of course,” she said softly. “You don’t need to ask.” Or feel obligated to stay. It had been five years for him at the Time Bureau, she reminded herself. He had probably grown used to not needing her. Meanwhile she had spent the last five years grieving and missing him.

She lost track of her thoughts at his touch and looked up. “The  _ Waverider _ is our priority, keep her safe. With the Time Courier, we can keep her out of harm’s way and go directly where we’re needed.”

“So you don’t want to leave?”

“What gave you that idea? You couldn’t be my Captain then.”

“I just-I thought-with the Time Courier-you could leave….if you wanted to.”

“It’s handy for trips.”

She nodded and stood up, holding out her hand for his. His fingers curled around her hand. She smiled at him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe it was you,” she said softly.

“It’s been a long time.”

“For me. Not so much for you, I suppose.” Gideon looked down. “For what it’s worth, I did miss you. Truly and completely.” She wondered if he would even remember his last words to her.

“I missed you too, Gideon. I’m sorry I put you through so much. I have a lot to make up for.”

“Well, breakfast was a very nice start to forgiveness,” she teased. In truth, he had nothing to make up for. Gideon was just happy to have him in her life again. “I know you were looking forward to seeing your family again, I’m sorry you couldn’t. But I am very happy you aren’t dead.”

“Decided I can wait, make Miranda and you proud of me, first.”

“I’m already proud of you. And I know Miranda is too.”

“She would want me to protect the timeline.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Follow you, be partners again.” He seemed to be on the brink of saying something but remained silent.

She decided not to press him on it. “Take some time, find your bearings again, get used to the ship. Then we’ll talk.”

“Yes, Captain. Keep me company while I begin the routine maintenance?”

“That would be lovely, Rip.”

She smiled and held his hand, leading him out of the medbay together.

* * *

Rip smiled as he watched Gideon stroke the console and whisper to the ship. She did this in every timeline he was in. Gideon and the Waverider were one being split into two different bodies. Android, human, didn’t matter, she had a deep connection to the ship. He was glad she took on the role of Captain in this timeline, there were some in which she didn’t think he deserved the role, which was absolute bollocks. 

One constant was that she cared for him deeply, that had been made clear. While she had never said those three words he so desired, she always looked after him no matter what. It broke his heart to think of all those Gideon’s he had left behind when he disappeared without a trace. He always hoped they would be able to move on again.

After the first two times, he had begun writing a note, in case he vanished. He hoped it had helped her understand and not hate him as much as he may have deserved. Rip patted the note in his pocket, he hadn’t lost sight of it since he’d written it. He didn’t want her to find it and then confront him. If he had to vanish, he wanted her to be joyful they had time together again. Happy memories only.

“Whispering sweet nothings?” he murmured, standing just behind her.

Gideon startled and jumped slightly as she turned to face him, a slight blush on her cheeks. “Something like that. I always enjoyed it when you used to talk to me when I was an AI like this.”

“It did make the work more pleasant.”

“It was always very sweet of you.” She stroked the console lovingly, and then held out her hand for his.He took her hand. She pressed his hand against the console. “Can you feel it? All the energy and life just humming and buzzing under your fingertips. That’s her, so alive.”

“Hello again, Beautiful,” he whispered. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gideon smile at him. “Sorry I’ve been gone so long.”

The lights twinkled at his words.

“Permission to stay on board with you and Captain Gideon?”

The lights twinkled again.

“That’s a yes,” whispered Gideon.

“Thank you.” He stroked the console.

“Did you work on the fabricator like you wanted to?” asked Gideon.

“Just about to.”

She nodded. “You know you don’t need to work so hard. We like having you here.”

“And I like being here, but you know I can’t sit around and do nothing.” He had spent the last week trying to be as useful as possible around the ship, to show her how much he appreciated being allowed to stay and also because he would go mad doing nothing.

“All right.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Go work on the fabricator.”

“Aye aye, Captain.” He saluted her smartly, turned sharply on his heel and marched off.

He headed to the fabricator and got out his tools. The rhythmic work always helped him clear his mind, helped him work through his thoughts. This time, it was why he could never stay in a certain time, and how much longer he had with this Gideon now.

It was already two more days than he’d ever had with any Gideon. He turned the wrench too hard as the thought of losing Gideon again hurt him terribly. He rolled back out from under the fabricator and closed his eyes. He just wanted to stay with Gideon.

“Why the long face?”

Rip opened his eyes and saw Gideon taking a seat next to him. She reached out and cupped his face.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing,” she murmured, leaning in. Her lips touched his. 

His spine tingled, and he began to faintly glow. Gideon deepened the kiss, pushing him onto the ground and the golden light intensified. The ethereal light wrapped around them both like ribbons, together as one.

“Gideon--”

“I love you.” She breathed heavily when the kiss stopped, the golden light dissipating. But Gideon kept her eyes on him. “I never got a chance to say it before-” her voice broke. “But I’m saying it now. I love you, Rip Hunter. Always have.”

“Gideon--”

She stopped him again with her lips against his. “I love you,” she repeated as she kissed him, even more desperate than before.

He clung to her and kissed her back fervently. “I love you, too.”

“You do?” she whispered.

“For years,” he murmured, then his face dropped as faint golden light faded from her skin. “Oh no, no, no, no!” He grabbed her hand. “Medbay, now!” 

“What? Whoa!” 

Rip dragged her to her feet and started marching her to the medbay.

“Since when do you actually willingly want to go to the medbay? Rip, what happened?”

“I need to run the same test on you,” he said urgently.

“Rip, you are really scaring me,” she said quietly. “Please explain.”

“You’re right, my test result isn’t normal.”

“Yes, I couldn’t figure out why. I already told you that.”

“I know why.” He closed his eyes, anguished.

“Tell me.”

He opened his eyes when he felt her touch his hands.

“Please,” she said softly.

“You aren’t the first Gideon I’ve met, since I escaped.”

She was quiet for a long time. “How many were there?”

“Ten. Five were androids, five were human.”

“What happened to them, to you?” 

“Each welcomed me. I thought I was all right, escaped with minimal damage, then the first one ran a scan on me, found that same reading you did.”

“What does it mean?”

“Don’t worry about losing me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m going to live forever, close enough.”

Gideon’s jaw dropped and she quickly tried to cover it up. “Are you sure?” she whispered. 

“Three Gideons confirmed the scans.”

She nodded quietly. “I’m sorry. That must sound like hell.”

“I need to run the same scan on you,” he said softly.

“Why?” she asked with confusion.

He kissed her. “You were glowing.”

“I was? And that means I’m like you now?”

“That’s what we need to find out.”

She nodded and offered him her wrist as they arrived in medbay and she sat down.

He secured the medcuff around her delicate wrist. “Try to relax and lie still.” He began the scan.

“I know how this works, you know,” she muttered.

He stroked her face. She turned and kissed his palm, waiting for the tests to finish. 

When the scan finally ended she asked, “What does it say?”

“Let’s run the scan on me, too.”

“We can just test it against your original results I got from the first scan.”

“I think it’s best we do another one.”

“As you wish.”

He helped her up and took her place. Gideon started the same tests and held his hand as they ran. He tried not to fidget as he waited. Gideon squeezed his hand and gave him a smile.

“It’s almost done,” she murmured. He smiled wanly. She kissed his knuckles and watched the screen just as the tests finished. “There, all done.”

“Any changes?” he asked, afraid his hypothesis was about to be confirmed.

She pulled up the two results side by side. Both sets of blood work showed the same anomalies. “It’s happened to me too, hasn’t it?” she said softly, legs giving out as she took a seat on the bed next to him.

“I hope you meant what you said, earlier.” He cupped her face.

“I love you,” she said fiercely.

“Looks like I have half of forever to show you how much I do, too.”

“We’re the same now?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“How can you be so sure you’ll be staying with me and not just move on to another Gideon?”

“I can’t, but I’ve been with you the longest. You’re the first one who--”

Gideon waited for him to finish. “Who what? Told you I loved you?”

“And--” Rip kissed her. Gideon deepened the kiss, sinking into it.

“Maybe we should run another scan on you, I don’t want to hurt you,” he said worriedly.

“Later,” she said, pulling him closer. “Right now, I want to enjoy the miracle of having you back and keeping you forever.” She clasped hands with him and kissed him. Soon they forgot everything else.

* * *

Eventually after all their fun, he convinced her they should both have another scan.

“Remember when you agreed that I was Captain?” said Gideon, rather annoyed as he herded her into the medbay.

“Yes.”

“You’re very bossy for someone that agreed.” She turned and kissed him before he could strap her in.

“Remember all the times you insisted on running tests on me?” he asked, short of breath after their kiss.

“No. I would never!”

“There’s a log of each one, somewhere, shall I find it for you?”

“No, no, I’m sure it got deleted when I turned human. No reason to trouble yourself.”

“I’m returning the favour. After, we’ll scan me once more to find out if there have been further changes.”

“What are you hoping to find?” she asked as he attached the medcuff to her wrist.

“That nothing has changed for you.”

“I don’t feel any different.”

“Nor do I.”

Gideon watched as the screen ran the scans and spat out the results. “This is real, isn’t it?” she murmured. “We’re basically going to live forever.” Again, in her case.

“Close to it, yes.” The results were unchanged.

“How do you feel about that?”

“Is it selfish of me to be glad I’ll have you?”

“Not at all considering I have you.” She squeezed his hand. “Do you ever think about the other Gideons?” she asked quietly. “What happened to them?”

“Yes, I do. Let’s find out.”

“How?” she asked with a frown.

“I kept a list of where and when the  _ Waverider  _ was when I was on board.”

“You want to travel and see them? You do realize that two of me in one place, time could break. Again.”

“Long range scan, we’ll stay camouflaged.”

Gideon nodded and removed her medcuff, following him back out to the bridge and took the Captain’s seat. “Which one first?” she asked.

“First one I saw.”

“The furthest one into the future,” she recalled. “Android?”

“Yes.”

“Put in the coordinates.”

“Yes, Captain.” He reached over and inputted the numbers.

She smiled when he used her title and threw the thruster back, catapulting themselves into the timestream. When they arrived, there was no other time ship to be seen.

“Are you sure this is it?” asked Gideon. 

“Yes.” He pulled out a piece of paper. “Wrote down where and when I was, each time.”

Gideon took the paper and examined it, then looked out the windows again. “This doesn’t make any sense. There’s nothing here.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Let’s try the next one.”

He input the next set of coordinates. Gideon followed the coordinates through the timestream to their next destination, only to find nothing once again.

He looked at her. “It’s possible I was wrong once. Not twice. We’re missing something.”

Gideon got up from the pilot’s seat and headed to the console, waiting for Rip to join her. When he did, she pulled up the timeline and marked all the times Rip said he had visited her.

“They all appear correct,” he said.

“And yet none of them are here.” She frowned at the screen, biting her lip and wrinkling her brow. “They’re not here,” she said slowly.

“Travelled further than I thought.”

She locked eyes on him and saw he had drawn the same conclusion as she had. “Different universes.”

“Yes.”

“You want to try and visit them?” she asked knowingly.

“We need to narrow them down, find out which ones I was in.”

Gideon sighed heavily. “That could take a while.”

“Good thing we’re brilliant.”

“Well, one of us is,” she teased him lightly.

“One of us always claimed it.” He looked at her expectantly.

“One of us is always right.”

He waved at the control panel. “Well then.”

“And the other one of us can still definitely help,” she continued loftily.

“Lead and I will follow, Captain.”

She took his hand and brought him next to her at the console. He leaned slightly against her. Gideon tried hard not to get distracted from her work as he brushed against her side, but failed.

“I need you to take a step back,” she murmured, not taking her eyes off the screen as she worked.

Silently, he stepped away from her. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and returned her attention to the screens.

“Watch this timeline over here,” she said, pointing to a branching alternate reality from one of the points where he had said he visited her. “Look familiar to you?”

“Indeed.”

“Do you think it’s one of the alternate universes you bounced to?”

“Yes. Let’s find out which one.”

Her eyes lit up. “I’ve never gone to another universe before!”

“May I?” he asked, gesturing at the controls.

Her eyes dimmed slightly but she nodded and stepped back. He kissed her cheek. He sat down and lowered the harness over his shoulders. Gideon followed suit and watched as he lifted the ship into the air and blasted them off into the multiverse, like second nature to him.

He set their course and watched the temporal zone flash by them. “I’ve missed this,” he said softly, then cleared his throat. “Sorry, Captain. You should be piloting the ship.”

Gideon tightened her fingers around her harness. She knew exactly how he felt, being one with the ship when they flew. She felt closest to the Waverider when she piloted. As much as it pained her to see how easily he fit into the role of Captain again, she also knew how much it must have hurt him to watch her take over something that had once been equally his.

“I always do all the work. I deserve a break, don’t you think?” She kept her voice light and airy. “Besides, I’m sure you’ve improved and won’t nearly crash us into the Eiffel Tower like on you mission to the Louvre.”

He knew how much that cost her to say. “I like to think I have, Captain.”

“You have,” she said quietly. Closing her eyes she forced herself to continue. “You-you could fly her more, if you wanted. I think she would like that.”

“I would like that very much, Captain. Take turns?”

She squeezed her eyes shut against her tears and clutched her harness tightly. “Yes.” It was for the best, and what he deserved. Despite how much Gideon loved the Waverider, wanted her to herself, it had always belonged to the both of them.

He heard the hitch in her voice. “Thank you, Captain, you’re very generous.” He would see to it that she had some of the longest flights.

Gideon didn’t respond again and focused her attention on the coordinates and guiding him as she used when she had been an AI.

“Gideon?”

“Pulling up your map now. Just follow the trail I’ve already marked up. That should get us close enough to the alternate version of myself without causing the reality to collapse. Be careful.”

What he really wanted to do was thank her for indulging him. “Yes, Captain.”

He followed the course and gently settled them down on a field.

“What’s the plan now?” she asked. “It’s not like you can just waltz in there onto her ship.”

“Especially without my Time Courier.”

“Plan?” she prompted. Gideon knew Rip well enough to know he wouldn’t have just come here for nothing. He had been thinking about this for a while, how to check in on the other Gideons. That was why he must have suggested it so easily.

“We’ll hack into the security system, search for who is on board.” Rip hoped this alternate Gideon wasn’t alone, she didn’t deserve to be. No Gideon did. A small part of him wanted to go to her, apologize once more, properly, that he’d had to leave her.

Gideon undid her harness and headed to the main console, tinkering with the systems until she got a holographic view of the other Waverider pulled up. She knew it was different because the number on the ship from the exterior cameras was different than hers. And the Gideon on the screen wore different clothes than her. The resemblance was uncanny and reminded her of how she had been an AI, how there could have been copies of her in her very own universe if Rip hadn’t been so vehemently against it. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a second figure appear on the screen.

“Rip? You need to come see this,” she said softly.

He pushed his harness off and hurried over. “It’s astonishing how much she looks like you,” he whispered.

Gideon’s sight was still honed in on the second person. Reaching down, she clasped hands with him, interlacing their fingers. “It’s you,” she said softly. “She found you. Or perhaps he found her.”

“... are you sure that’s me?” he asked doubtfully.

She gave him a small smile and brushed his hair aside. “I would recognize you anywhere, my Rip.”

He leaned in and kissed her. “Good. She looks happy.”

“She does.” Gideon glanced at the screen and back at him. “Are you? With me?”

He took her in his arms and kissed her. Her arms came around his neck as his lips connected with hers. Even without the glowing light engulfing them, it was no less magical than their first kiss.

“Come on, let’s go home.” Gideon broke the kiss, gave him a smile, and took his hand to allow him to return them to their own universe once more.

He stopped by the Captain’s chair. “I’ve forgotten how tiring flying can be, Captain. Would you mind taking us back?” He held the harness up, ready for her to sit.

Her eyes brightened, realizing what he was doing. Squeezing his hand, she gave him a kiss and took her seat. “Thank you,” she murmured, brushing her fingers over the controls. 

Rip smiled, happy to see her at such ease and pleased. He helped her with her harness before taking his own seat. “Take us home, Captain.”

* * *

Gideon crossed her legs and watched the multiple screens she had pulled up. It had taken longer than she’d liked but she had finally gotten a lock on the frequency of the different timelines and was able to patch into their security feeds. Only for a minute or so, but it was enough. 

In every universe, Gideon had found Rip. If she had believed in soulmates she would have been inclined to say he was hers given the evidence in front of her. 

She felt arms wrap around her and leaned back into Rip’s embrace. “She looks happy,” she murmured. “In every universe. Because she has you.”

“And he is grateful to have another chance with you and try to make everything right,” he whispered.

She kissed his cheek and turned off the monitors. “So everyone gets a happily ever after. All things considered, I mean.” He couldn’t be with his family still, wouldn’t for many, many more years. But all things considered, for Gideon at least, it was a happy ending. It was practically unheard of. 

“Yes. About time we won something.” As he kissed her, he pulled out the letter he’d written, time to burn it.

“Aw, is that a love letter? A sonnet that you poured all your feelings into for me?” she teased him. 

“In a sense. Not needed now.”

“In a sense?” Before he could stop her, she snatched it out of his grasp and opened it up, scanning it. Her heart skipped a beat. “You thought you were going to leave me too,” she whispered. 

“Not by choice.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. “I know.” She crumpled it up and turned back to him, forcing it into his palm. “You’re right. We won’t need that anymore. Because you are staying with me. Forever.”

“Let’s burn it.”

“Excellent idea.”

“In the sink in the galley?”

“Trash can in the parlour?”

“Whichever you prefer.”

“Trash can,” she decided, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the parlour. 

There was a certain symmetry he appreciated. Gideon got the trash can and he dumped the letter into it and pulled out a box of matches. 

“Just this once, I’ll allow a fire on board,” she said. 

“Thank you, Captain.”

He doused it with a little lighter fluid and threw a lit match into the metal bin. Flames flared as the paper became ash. It was cathartic, really. 

When the flames started to die down, Gideon grabbed the fire extinguisher and put the rest out. She was not risking burning down the Waverider!

After a few seconds, Rip took the fire extinguisher from her and set it down. “That’s more than enough, Captain.”

Gideon huffed and pouted, then she smiled, pulling him closer. “I really like it when you call me Captain. Makes me feel worthy of the title.”

“You are, Captain. Never let anyone tell you differently.”

“Thank you, that means a lot to me that you think that.” She kissed him gently. 

After the kiss he said breathlessly, “I mean it, Gideon. Don’t let anyone, even me, tell you differently.”

“I love you, Rip.”

He smiled and kissed her gently. “I love you too, Captain.”


End file.
